Wave-motor



T. A. McCULLEY.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29. 1920.

Patented July 19 1921,,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

[hi/B17701 T. A. McCULLEY.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, I920.

hassmsam Patented July 19,1921

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

T. A. IVICCULLEY.

WAVE MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29, 1920.

1,35,083. v I mama July 19,1921

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. M CUL- LEY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, reslding in the city and county of San Franclsco, State ofCalifornia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Wave-Motors,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wave motors wherein oppositelyacting ratchets are impelled by pawls actuated by wave-oscillated buoysfor rotating a shaft and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide an improved means for deriving useful power fromwaves;

Second, to provide a motor adapted to derive power from both the upwardand downward movement of waves;

'llhird, to provide means for balancing the driving power on a waveactuated shaft.

Fourth, to provide means for rotating a wave actuated shaft in onedirection only.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the novel devicedisclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present specification inwhich like characters of reference are used to designate similar partsthroughout said specification and drawings and in which- Figure 1 is abroken side elevation of my improved wave motor;

Fig. 2 is a broken front elevation of the device on an enlarged scale,

Fig. 3 is a broken plan view of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1 is used to designate ahorizontally disposed shaft mounted upon a framework 2 securedto asuitable supporting structure 10 such as a pier. Buoys 3 adapted to beoscillated with an upward and downward movement by the action of wavesare connected with the shaft 1 by driving arms 4 secured at one endthereof to the buoys 3 and pivotally mounted upon the shafts 1 bybearings formed at the opposite end of said arms 4.

Ratchets 6, having the teeth 5 thereof disposed in opposite directions,are rotatably mounted on the shaft 1. Upwardly acting pawls 7 arepivotally mounted upon diagonally opposed arms 4 in engaging relationwith the ratchets 6; and downwardly acting pawls 8 are pivotally mountedupon the opposing arms 4 in the engagement with the ratchets 6 therebyprovidlng for an upward pressure to be applied to one sideof eachratchet 6 and a downward pressure to be app on t e pp s e s e of saidSpecification of Letters Patent.

1920. Serial No. 365,363.

ratchet. The downwardly acting pawls 8 are retained in engagement withthe ratchet 6 by suitable springs 9 secured to the pawls 8 and the pawlbearing pins 11.-

Pawls 12 are suitably secured above, and adapted to engage the ratchets6 for a purpose hereinafter more fully explained.

A vertical shaft 14 is rotatably mounted in a bearing 16 atsubstantially right angles to the shaft 1, said shaft 14 being providedat the lower end thereof with a pinion gear 17 secured thereon. Inwardlyfacing gears 18 are rotatably mounted upon the shaft 1 adjacent theratchet 6 and secured thereto in such manner as to engage the pinion 17at opposite sides whereby the driving force is applied equally uponopposing sides of said pinion 17. The oppositely disposed teeth 5 of theratchets 6 cause said ratchets to be driven in opposite directionsthereby rotating the gears 18 secured thereon in opposite direction. Thepinion 17 being engaged by the gears 18 on opposite sides thereof, theshaft 14 must necessarily be driven in the same direction by either gear18 and may derive power from either gear or from both simultaneously.

Braces 21 are secured to the buoys 3 and pivot-ally mounted upon theshafts 1 near the outer ends thereof to resist cross currents that mayoccur, thereby relieving the driving arms 4 of the bending stress towhich said driving arms would otherwise be subjected.

In operation my invention is as follows: The floating buoys 3 are causedto alternately rise and fall with each wave thereby oscillating thedriving arms 4 upon the shafts 1. As the driving arms are raised theupwardly acting pawls 7 engage the ratchet teeth 5 thereby imparting arotative movement to the ratchets 6 and the gears 8. As the crest of thewave passes and the buoy begins to descend, the downwardly acting pawls8 engage the teeth 5 of the opposite ratchet 6 thereby causing rotationthereof until the buoy begins to ascend the next wave. In practice thedriving arms 4 are of a length adapted to deliver the maximum of powerfrom one buoy while the opposite buoy is inert at the crest or trough ofthe average wave, thereby delivering a maximum of power at all times. Incase the wave length should be such as to cause an upward movement ofone buoy coinciding exactly with the downward movement of Patented dulyI9, 192i. 7

the opposite buoy it is possible that the shafts 1 would receive anoscillating movement due to the equalizing of pressure from the opposingbuoys. To prevent such an occurrence the pawls 12 are provided toprevent any backward movement of the ratchets 6.

As the downward movement of one buoy combines with the upward movementof the opposing buoy to cause rotation of the gears 18 in oppositedirections it is obvious that a substantiall uniform motive force willbe applied to the vertical shaft 14 through said ears l8 and the pinion17 which may be utilized in any desired manner.

When tide changes are to be considered the actuating arms are made of alength adapted to give eflicient leverage at both high and low waterlevels, and in all cases the length is sufficient to permlt the buoys todescend to the trough of the most extreme waves without danger oflowering the actuating arms into contact with the supporting structure10.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. A wave motor comprising a power shaft; apinion secured thereto; gears rotatably mounted adjacent said pinion andadapted to engage said pinion at opposing sides thereof, to drive saidpower shaft; oppositely acting ratchets rotatably mounted adjacent saidgears and secured thereto; actuatin arms pivotally mounted ad acent saidrate ets; buoys engaging said actuating arms and adapted to oscillatesaid arms by the action of waves; and upwardly and downwardly actingpawls mounted upon said actuating arms and engaging said ratchets toimpart a rotativo movement to said ratchets when said actuating arms areactuated.

2. A wave motor comprising a vertically disposed power shaft; ahorizontal shaft mounted adjacent thereto; a pinion secured to the lowerend of the power shaft; gears rotatably mounted upon said horizontalshaft adjacent said pinion and ada ted to engage said inion at op osingsides 1; ereof, to drive sai power sha oppositel acting ratchetsrotatably mounted upon t e honzontal shaft adjacent said gears andsecured thereto; actuating arms lvotally mounted upon said horizontalsha buo s enga 'ng said actuating arms and adapted to osci ate said armsby the action of waves; upwardly and downwardly acting pawls pivotallymounted upon said actuating arms and engaging the ratchets to impart arotative movement to said ratchets when the actuating arms are actuated.

3. A wave motor comprising a verticall disposed power shaft; ahorizontal sha t mounted adjacent thereto; a pinion secured to the lowerend of the power shaft; gears rotatably mounted upon said horizontalshaft adjacent said pinion and adapted to engage said pinion at'opposingsides thereof, to drive said power s aft; oppositely acting ratchetsrotatably mounted upon the horizontal shaft adjacent said gears andsecured thereto; actuating arms pivotally mounted upon said horizontalsha -t; buoys engaging said actuating arms and adapted to oscillate saidarms by the action of waves; upwardly and downwardly acting pawls ,piv-

otally mounted upon said actuating arms and engaging the ratchets toimpart a rotative movement to said ratchets when the actuating arms areactuated; and means for preventing a return movement of the ratchets.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my signature.

THOMAS A. McCULLEY.

